Hoisting bucket



F. H. WEEKS HOISTING BUCKET Feb. 23 1926.

Filed August 2 1925 Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES FRANCIS H. WEEKS,

or New YORK, N. Y.

HOISTING "BUCKET. 7

Application filed August 20, 1925. Serial No. 51,360; i

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, FnANcIs H. WEEKS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, county of Bronx, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Hoisting Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hoisting buckets, and more particularly to means for converting a hoisting bucket, such for-example as a clam shell bucket, into a bucket which has or has not teeth as desired. The ordinary clam shell bucket will not dig hard material such as ore, chalk, and other packed products. It is necessary to use an orange peelbucket, or a heavy clam shell bucket, -or a clam shell bucket of ordinary weight fitted with teeth. The latter method is in common use on shore, but cannot be used in unloading vessels, as the teeth will damage the bottom if allowed to touch it, so if the teeth are used they must be removed before reaching the bottom, and then replaced before starting the next hatch. There are five or more hatches in the ordiiary steamship. Generally teeth are attached by live or six heavy bolts or rivets for each tooth, and there are usually five to nine teeth on the bucket. It is necessary to drill numerous holes near the cutting edge of the scoops where there is great need of strength, and these holes weaken the bucket. To put a set of teeth on may take an hour, and it may take another hour to remove them. This is a serious matter because in unloading vessels time is very essential, and usually a very limited time is allowed for the operation. The bolts used are likely to be bentby the great strain they are subjected to, and the threads are spoiled. It is usually necessary to cut them off to removethem. The teeth are often bent, and the cutting edge of the bucket is also damaged because the strain on the ends of the teeth cause the latter to act as levers and distort the bucket edge. These reasons make it impractical to use ordinary teeth in ship work. Heavy buckets can be used and are used in con the strain is distributed and the bucket edges in no wise injured. Furthermore, I arrange the teeth so that, they can be put in or applied as a unit, provide means for bracing them laterally to prevent displacement, and .arrange the device as a whole so that for each tooth a small bolt answers to hold it in place and there is no great strain on this bolt. This will be better understood from the description which follows.

Reference is to be had to the. accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,'in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a common form of clam shell bucket provided with teeth after my idea.

Figure 2 is a broken elevation of thebottom .part of one of the scrapers showing the manner of attaching the teeth.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line'33 of Figure 2. y V

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is an inside elevation or plan of a portion of the bucket with the attached teeth, the view being diagrammatic to illustrate the means of attachment..

The bucket 10 is shown as the ordinary clam shell bucket, but obviously it can be any hoisting bucket of this general type having opposed scoops which hinge together or which are opened to drop a load. I have shown the meeting edge portions 11 of each bucket scoop provided with teeth 12 which project well beyond the bucket edge as usual, each provided with a shank 12 and the teeth are preferably placed on the outer sideof the bucket. On the inner sides opposite each shank is a clamping member or brace 13, which lies flat against the wall of the scoop when it is fastened, and is bent outward near its outer end as shown at 14, the terminal portion being secured to the tooth beyond the bucket edge by rivets 15 or analogous fastenings. The inner end of the member 13 is secured to the inner part of the tooth which lies opposite it by a bolt 16 or analogous fastening, so that it will be seen there is only one hole through the wall of the bucket, and this is well back from the edge. When the nut of. the bolt 16 is tightened, the brace 18 is drawn flat against the part 11 of the bucket, and the front edge of the part 11 lies between the shank and the clamping shanks 12 but the braces may be otherwise arranged. 'Bolts 1901 thelike pass through. adjacent flanges 18 and through the tooth between the flanges, and thus the braces 11 serve as spacing members and also hold the teeth against any lateral displacement Furthermore it will be observed that this arrangement ties the several teeth together so that by removing the bolts 16, a set of teeth can be removed, and obviously the teeth can as a. unit'be as easily applied to the bucket.

Various modifications of the particular form of clamping and bracing the teeth willrsuggest themselves, but I have shown apractical structure which I have used extensively in actual work and which serves the. purpose perfectly. I find that the structure effects a great saving in .timeand is also economical .as regards the -wear and tear on buckets.

I claimn-e- .1. As an improved article of manufacture, a hoisting bucket having easily detachablev teeth clamped to the edge portion thereof.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, .a hoisting bucket having easily detachable teeth, and means for clamping the teeth as a unit to the edge portion of the bucket. I

3-. Thecombination with a bucket of the kind described, of a unit comprising a plurality of freely detachable teeth clamped to the edge portion of the bucket, and spacing. and bracing members between the teeth.

4. The combination with a bucket, of a unit easily removable therefrom and comprising a plurality of teeth, clamping members connected to the projecting portions of the teeth and arranged so that the bucket walllies between the teeth and the clamping members, and a through fastening connecting the clamping members, teethand bucket wall at the free end of said clamping members.

5. An attachment for a bucket comprising a plurality of teeth, each provided with a clamping element "secured thereto and adapted to receive the edge of a bucket therebetween.

6. An attachment for a bucket comprising a plurality of connected teeth, each provided with a clamping element secured thereto and adapted to receive and clamp the edge of a bucket therebetween.

7.,An attachment for, a bucket compris ing a. plurality of teeth assembled as a unit and each provided with a clamping elementadapted to receive and clamp the edge of a bucket therebetween.

8. An attachment for a bucket co1nprising a plurality of teeth,'each provided with an elongated shank, means connecting said shanks to form a unit of said teeth and shanks, and a clamping element secured to each.v shank and spaced from the latter whereby the edge of a bucket is received between said shanks and said clamping elements, and means for detachably connecting said shanks, clamping elements and the bucket edge.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 10th day of August, 1925. V

V FRANCIS H. 'WEEKS. 

